Pelican: Ten Examples of Musical Genius

Being in Pelican is tricky. When it comes to music, we rarely all agree on anything. But we like to push each other. So the Incredible String Band got a lot of play on the way to SXSW last year, thanks to Trevor. Larry likes to impose black metal on Bryan-- how many times do we have to beg for Darkthrone to get a little love? And Laurent is the butt of many jokes because he has Badlands in his CD book. But we make it work because there are amazing records that can please the discerning music nerd in all of us. Buy these for yourself or family; make someone happy. Tell them Pelican recommended the shit.

Boards Of Canada: The Campfire Headphase Basically the "chillest" band of all time. This CD could be their best. It's sweet for the late night drives on tour. It has a newer Radiohead vibe to it with the added guitars, which is a plus. This album was worth the wait. Guys, please tour!!

Jesu: Jesu The saddest, heaviest record of all time-- Justin Broadrick at his finest. We all love it. This record puts you in a trance and smothers you. This is our soundtrack to winter.

Minus the Bear: Menos el Oso Che Arthur (our sound guy) popped this disc on to suprise all of us. "Che who is this?", "Minus the Bear, yo!" It got multiple spins and we returned home from a metal tour with Opeth to play Chicago with these guys! Super innovative and fresh. The Police for a new generation. Count the all the Line 6 pedals at their next show, SICK!

Sunny Day Real Estate: How It Feels to Be Something On Bryan always brings this one and I am grateful because it's always musically inspirational to listen to this magnificent band at their peak. It seemed terrible and premature when Sunny D broke up following their second album, so when they reunited to release this album it was glorious-- not only to have them back, but because they had managed to top all their amazing music they'd done before. Articulately emotional, sincere, and sophisticated; this band wrote the book.

Unwound: New Plastic Ideas How can we even categorize this unique band? Like a dirgey emo tractor milling fields of angry angst-ridden grooves, Unwound changed a little with every record but always remained distinctive. This early album rages over tides of alternating calms and storms and seemed to be the perfect soundtrack for our summer tour.

Bedhead: WhatFunLifeWas This Texas band has some of the most distinctive melodies in indie rock, but what they really excel at is dynamics. It's rare to find a band that can rock a four-minute buildup that never bores and keeps you waiting for the payoff.

Melvins: Lysol This was an early taste of the Melvins. Larry had played other records but none sank in. But this LP's deep evil drone and those spaced-out moans got us hooked. Since then they've become one of our favorites.

Radiohead: Kid A There's not much for to explain, it's one of the greatest records of our time. I have yet to hear anything that even sounds similar to it. Everyone in the van has a different favorite song.

Bohren und der Club of Gore: Black Earth Two of us have a sick obsession with "Twin Peaks". Dale Cooper, the Black Lodge, coffee, and the Log Lady-- we've discussed it all. Justin from Austerity Program was the first to play us Midnight Radio, and our jaws dropped. That same trip we got our hands on Black Earth to find that they upped the tempo a little bit, it sounded amazing. It was like they took all the great trippy jazz tunes in the show and made them into a full record. All you have to do is spin it on a late-night drive and close your eyes (if you're not driving), and suddenly you're in a room with red curtains, a midget, and a giant.

Helmet: Meantime If you were in middle school or high school in the early 90s, then this record likely changed your life. Helmet bridged heavy music so well-- you could be a thrash metal maniac, a kid into heavier punk, a hardcore fan, or whatever, and there was a pummel fest of a record that delivered all your needs in one package. It's simplicity, accuracy of rhythm, and brute delivery still surprise me to this day. They never topped this.

Unfortunately, this band-- along with Quicksand, Orange 9mm, and the like-- helped spawn the nu-metal scene...so its members might have a hard time sleeping at night.

Thin Lizzy: The entire catalogue through Black Rose Laurent is the 70s rock maniac in the band-- REO, early Rod Stewart, Styx, etc.-- so a lot of the things he suggests get the stereo veto from the driver. Thin Lizzy, however, makes the cut every time, and we've all learned to love them. Sure, at first you only identify with the rockers like "Warriors", "Emerald", "Fighting", etc. But then eventually you realize their wonderful lyricism and street-tough bravado is in all the songs, even the ballads. This is a band that moves you, and their command of dynamics is unrivaled. They were pioneers, and they're always something we agree on.

Iron Maiden: Number of the Beast Laurent likes the first two Maiden records, the pre-Bruce Dickinson ones, a bit more, but if we all had to agree (even Bryan, who doesn't really listen to Maiden but can still appreciate them), this is the one that put them on the map and is the blueprint for many future classics. It's all here: galloping rhythms, twin leads galore, charged vocals, exquisite soloing, triumph, man! Pelican loves the triumphant music. It's why this band appeals so much, as do Wishbone Ash, Mineral, and Jawbreaker. It's all about delivering the goods and conquering. Iron Maiden perfectly embody that.